Domestic Migration in Spain: Recent Trends and Consequences
Domestic Migration in Spain: Recent Trends
In recent years, internal migration in Spain has varied in intensity and geographic patterns. These are the most salient developments:
- The gradual extension of provinces with positive net migration and a decrease in polarization in previously high-migration areas.
- Restructuring of air carriers traditionally associated with emigration and immigration, including the return of former emigrants (emigrantes retornados).
- The rural exodus is being replaced by population movements between different urban centers.
- The type of emigrant has also changed; the current majority belongs to the service sector.
Consequences of Internal Migration
The impact of internal migration is felt across demographic, social, and economic spheres.
Areas of Attraction
A) For areas acting as centers of attraction, migrants represent a positive change in real growth, population structure, and natural dynamics. Immigrants have become the basis of population growth in many urban areas, both through direct contribution and their impact on fertility (being a predominantly young population). This rejuvenates the age structure, increases the labor force, and revitalizes birth and fertility rates. Socially, the contribution of new groups is considered a factor that accentuates richness and cultural diversity. Economically, there is an improvement in labor supply and a higher concentration of human resources. However, immigration areas face increased costs to meet the demands of population growth: new facilities, infrastructure, and housing.
Migrant-Source Areas
B) Areas experiencing outward migration suffer from a more negative impact. Demographically, there is population decline, aging, and fertility decline. Economically, there is an impoverishment of human resources and reduced economic activity. While migration may improve individual incomes in the source areas, the overall effect is negative.
Internal migration has caused serious imbalances in population distribution, leading to areas of high population concentration and demographic desertification in others.
Factors Explaining the Decline in Mortality
Factors explaining the decline in mortality include:
- Advances in medicine
- Improvements in social resources, especially food
- Improvements in overall population health
Spatial Distribution of Mortality in Spain: Currently, communities with higher mortality rates include Asturias, Aragón, Baleares, and Galicia. In contrast, rates are lowest in the Canary Islands, Madrid, Region of Murcia, Andalusia, and Catalonia. However, using average life expectancy as an indicator, northern regions show more positive indices than the south.
Differences Between Rural and Urban Areas
A significant contrast exists between rural and urban areas due to differing lifestyles and inequalities in access to healthcare, education, and welfare.
Composition of Foreign Immigrants
Foreign residents in Spain represent a wide variety of situations:
- Foreign Nationals: The number of Spanish citizenship applications has increased in recent years, due to the recovery of nationality by former Spanish immigrants and their descendants, and foreign immigrants seeking citizenship.
- Workers: In recent years, there have been approximately 12,000 new annual entrants to the workforce. Foreign workers are employed in the service sector, agriculture, construction, and industry.
- Students: University students represent a significant group in international migration, with a majority concentrated in Madrid, Granada, and Salamanca.
- Asylum Seekers and Refugees: The 1984 Law governing the right of asylum and refugee status defines a refugee as a person who, owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, etc., is outside the country of their nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Spain maintains a refugee population that is about half the size of those in France, Belgium, and the UK.
- Illegal Immigrants: An illegal immigrant is defined as any foreigner without legal residence status in Spain. They are legally unable to work, reside, or receive social benefits. Regularization processes exist to legalize their status. This group is composed largely of young people employed in agriculture, construction, hotels, and street vending. Poverty, homelessness, lack of education and training, and marginalization are some of the characteristics that define this population.
Reasons for Declining Birth and Fertility Rates
The reasons for declining birth and fertility rates are considered multiple and complex, encompassing economic, sociological, cultural, and institutional factors. The development of industrialization, urbanization, and secularization, along with factors such as:
- The emancipation of women and their incorporation into the labor market.
- The cost of education and raising children.
- A fatalistic attitude among some generations, resulting from life experiences.
Birth rates in Spain cannot be separated from various historical events, including the Civil War, migration, economic crises, changes in age structure, and the evolution of marriage patterns.